A high-level United Arab Emirates delegation was in Lebanon on Monday to negotiate the reopening of the Gulf country’s embassy in Beirut after more than three years. The UAE withdrew its diplomats from Lebanon and closed the embassy in October 2021, joining Saudi Arabia after Lebanon’s then-information minister criticized the Saudi-led coalition’s involvement in Yemen, reported by Reuters.
Embassy reopens after more than three years
Saudi Arabia’s then-foreign minister has pointed to Hezbollah’s dominance of Lebanese politics. Most of the group’s top leadership has since been killed and many of its strongholds in Lebanon lie in ruins after more than a year of war with Israel. The delegation arrived on Sunday, a day after UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun agreed to take the necessary steps to reopen the embassy.
“The reopening reflects the UAE’s commitment to supporting stability and development in Lebanon, as well as its unwavering commitment to providing comprehensive support to the Lebanese people in various sectors,” the UAE Foreign Ministry said. Aoun said countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia were open to resuming diplomatic relations, Lebanese Parliament Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab said in a televised speech.
Lebanon has complied with UAE demands
“The UAE will reopen its embassy very soon… thus, we have the hope of starting a new chapter in Lebanon,” Bou Saab said. Last week, Lebanon agreed to extradite Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi, the son of the late Muslim cleric Yousef al-Qaradawi, to the UAE. The Turkish-Egyptian was arrested in Lebanon after making critical remarks about the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in an online video, according to his lawyer and Amnesty International.